July 2000 - Nr. 7
In Memoriam - Werner Graf
The
little church on College Street at the corner of Lippincot in Toronto, named
after St. George, was filled with mourners who came to say farewell to
Werner Graf, who passed away on June 21. Pastor Steinert conducted the
memorial service in both English and German to accommodate the different
backgrounds of Werner Graf’s friends.
In his eulogy he reviewed Mr. Graf’s long life (he would have been 88 years old on July 19) by 10 points for desirable living. With each one of these points he found proof positive that Werner lived a rich and rewarding life, which could even be measured by the amount of friends that came to the service, who like him upheld friendship as one of our existence’s most treasured commodities.
After
the service, which was well designed to uplift from the loss of a husband,
friend and associate, everyone filed into the hall underneath the church to
express their condolences to Ursula Graf, Werner’s wife. The tables were
pleasantly set to accommodate a cozy togetherness with coffee and delicious
cakes and pastries. This was exactly the way Werner wanted it. Three
eulogies were read by Werner’s friends: Dietrich Galonska and Hardy
Steinwedel, both of them like Werner from "Schlaraffia", Toronto
Chapter, and Sybille Forster-Rentmeister. All of them recalled what an able
man and fine friend he was.
When Werner Graf was born on July 19, 1912 in Diersfordt, Germany, the world was in a peculiar and unsettled condition. Some of the problems brewing have not been resolved even to this day. In 1912 the first Balkan War broke out, the United States entered Cuba to protect US interests, tragically the SS Titanic sank; but Werner’s star was on the rise, despite the brewing of wars and revolutions, even in the arts. Bold new concepts surfaced defying tradition; big scientific strides were made, changing all our lives forever.
In such a rapidly changing world people had to reinvent themselves, often just to survive and still stay true to their own integrity. Werner was capable of this. He sailed his ship through the following turbulent times of WW I and II and followed his star. He met his beautiful young wife in the city of Wiesbaden and after a fairly short and stormy courtship they married in September of 1951. Both of them had already many life experiences that shaped their destinies and tied them together for a long time to come.
A desire for a better life brought them to Canada in May of 1953. They landed in Halifax and traveled on to Toronto. They immersed themselves into this new life with abandon and could tell the most interesting stories, like so many new immigrants who had to overcome all sorts of obstacles.
Quickly they joined the German Canadian Club Harmonie, on Sherbourne Street in Toronto. Werner, of course, also joined the German Canadian Business and Professional Association as a founding member in the same year he arrived on Lake Ontario’s shores.
These
were exciting times in our community. Much work needed to be done in this
new homeland and Werner was always at the forefront. He took an integral
part in the establishment of many of our German institutions, like the
German Language Schools on Saturday, the Historical Society of Mecklenburg
Upper Canada and the Senate, a Mardi gras society with a special flair.
A great achievement for this group of people that Werner was such an active member of was the creation of the German Canadian Christmas Fair. In 1955 more than 6 thousand people came to this event at the Harmonie Club. Soon the club was no longer large enough and the event was moved to the prestigious Casa Loma Castle. The Globe and Mail reported on November 4th, 1960 that nearly 5 thousand people attended the opening alone! Three years later the event had to move back to the club because Casa Loma was not available. Perhaps it was fortuitous. It was the time of US President Kennedy’s assassination and people did not move far from their television. But Werner was on duty, as always.
There
were other activities Werner was involved in to further and uphold the
German heritage. He entertained our community long before our contemporary
radio personalities over the airwaves. Already in 1961 he hosted a German
radio program at CFGM-AM 1250. After 4 years he moved his show for a short
time to the prominent station of CKFH 142O until he could join the newly
established CHIN International Station, FM 100.7. He held this 3 hour long
morning program for 8 years and then followed it with a year of television
on Roger’s Cable Channel 10. Earlier experiences as a communications man
in the German Navy, his accent free German, enhanced by 2 years of actual
voice training, made him one of the most popular Radio hosts of his time.
After that he concentrated on his position with Henninger, a much welcome
addition to the local brewery scene. This is also the company where he ended
his professional career at the age of 75, which started in the field of
sales and PR so many years ago at VW and Chrysler.
Throughout
his long life he has been known for his charitable nature. He never stopped
supporting many causes that could help or enhance German Canadian community
life within the context of Canadian culture. In his later years for instance
he represented our community on the Chairman Advisory Board of the Folk Art
Council as Vice President under Joe Piccinini.
It is impossible to replace such a dedicated man. In true Werner fashion he never blew his own horn and never was officially rewarded for his contributions to the German Canadian community, for upholding our culture and building bridges to our neighbours, something that he did admiringly well.
It is hard to say good bye to someone who came so quietly, did his work so diligently and with so much loyalty as a good husband, a great friend and always a gentlemen. His friends at Schlaraffia called him Sir Galahad with good reason.
The way he came is the way he went, quietly. Without fanfare his star faded in the early morning hours of June 21st, 2000. He attached no self-importance to his person. That is the way he wanted it.
In all his endeavours he was always ably assisted by his vivacious and talented wife Uschi. They would have been married 50 years next year.
With his parting an era is quickly coming to an end. The presence of Germans of his generation will soon be over, but the memories remain. Without men like Werner Graf we would not feel so at home here. Without dedicated individuals like him, who set such a good example, we would not have left as strong a mark on Canadian culture and society as we did, and we would not be as well accepted in this multicultural environment. It is up to the rest of us to carry on into the next millennium and reinvent the world for our needs. In doing so we honour Werner Graf and men like him. - Sybille Forster-Rentmeister
